Email MSNBC and commend them for having several black guests on this morning

[Empowerer]

Morning Joe's racial discrimination is palpable and MSNBC should be called out for it. But this morning, they did a much better job and should be encouraged to keep it up.

More often than not, the show has no black guests on at all. And when it does, it is usually a black person who is brought out for one or two segments and then escorted right back out, leaving all white panels to discuss the issues - including race - without any black person in sight.

On the other hand, guests like Pat Buchanan park themselves there for the entire or most of the show.

It is an absolute disgrace that a major network would tolerate - in fact, facilitate - this kind of racial bias. This blatant racial exclusion is unacceptable in any circumstances. But given the fact that this show focuses 90% on a presidential campaign in which one of the candidates is black and race is very often the topic of discussion, the purposeful and consistent exclusion of blacks from the show is an outrage.

However, this morning, the program had Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Robinson, Mark Whitaker and Rep. James Clyburn. This is the most diversity they have ever had on the show. This is progress, even if it's a baby step.

Please contact them and tell them that you appreciate their attempt at diversity this morning, that it substantially improved the show and that it makes it more likely that you will tune in again in the future. We're quick to criticize them when they behave irresponsibly - we should let them know when they've done something right to encourage them to keep doing it.

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/